Scott LeBrun "The Theatre of Death" is a troupe of actors in Paris who put on Grand Guignol type productions. Their director is a cruel, demanding tyrant named Philippe Darvas (Sir Christopher Lee) who manipulates his performers in nasty ways in order to get the kind of performances that he wants. Concurrently, a series of vampire-like killings is plaguing the city, and easygoing police surgeon Charles Marquis (Julian Glover) takes the case. Charles is dating one of the troupes' stars, Dani Gireaux (Lelia Goldoni), and he finds that the murders seem to be leading back to the theatre.Stylishly directed by Samuel Gallu, this slick British production (even though the characters are supposed to be French, very few of the actors bother with attempting French accents) tells a reasonably absorbing mystery. It lays out a few enticing twists and revelations, while filling the widescreen frame with lots of colourful detail. It's a good looking film and fairly effective as a horror story, with a respectable amount of bloodletting. The atmosphere is pretty good, and Gallu and screenwriters Ellis Kadison and Roger Marshall hit the ground running with a gore gag right up front.The brunette Goldoni and the blonde Jenny Till (who plays Nicole) are very lovely, and the acting is solidly engaging from everybody concerned. Handsome young Glover is an amiable hero; Ivor Dean, Evelyn Laye, Joseph Furst, and Steve Plytas all offer indelible support, but it's unsurprisingly the late, great Lee who rates this a must see. He's so utterly commanding and authoritative that the film can't help but suffer a little when he's not around.A worthy viewing for discerning genre fans.Seven out of 10.

Woodyanders A troupe of young actors specialize in gory Grand Guignol plays at the Theatre of Death in Paris, France. Said plays are directed by the cruel, exacting and domineering Philippe Darvas (the great Christopher Lee in peak haughty'n'nasty form). Meanwhile, a series of brutal killings occur throughout the city. Is it Darvas or someone else who's the culprit? Director Samuel Gallu relates the engrossing story at a brisk pace, does an expert job of creating an eerie, misty atmosphere, and stages the murder set pieces with a reasonable amount of skill and style (there's some really nifty use of dissolves and freeze frames). Moreover, the cast all give solid and impressive performances: Julian Glover as dashing, humane coroner Charles Marquis, Lelia Goldoni as fragile, troubled, seasoned actress Dani Gireaux, Jenny Till as sweet eager ingénue Nicole Chapelle, Ivor Dean as the shrewd Inspector Micheaud, Joseph Furst as helpful psychiatrist Karl Schiller, and Evelyn Laye as classy theater owner Madame Angelique. Gilbert Taylor's polished, agile widescreen cinematography, the flavorsome period Paris setting, Elisabeth Lutyens' robust, shuddery score, and the rousing, startling conclusion are all likewise up to speed. An enjoyable film.

ferbs54 Not to be confused with the 1973 Vincent Price/Diana Rigg movie "Theatre of Blood," "Theatre of Death" (1966) gives us the story of a serial killer in modern-day Paris, who stabs victims and drains their blood (kind of like a 20th century Jacques the Ripper). The director of the local Theatre of Death, a Grand Guignol-type of entertainment, falls under suspicion, and, as played by that former neck nosher himself, "Mr. Tall, Dark and Gruesome," Christopher Lee, is is easy to see why. This sneaky, tyrannical, egomaniacal, Svengali-like, mesmerizing petty dictator is one intimidating personage indeed, and a likely suspect, to say the least. Anyway, I must admit that this little film has been stylishly shot and directed, handsomely produced, and well acted by one and all. However, it is also somewhat static, never especially scary or suspenseful, and certainly suffers when Lee's character mysteriously disappears halfway through. Still, it does somehow manage to hold the viewer's attention, although I'm still a trifle puzzled as to WHY the killer decided to go on a sudden homicidal spree, as well as a few other loose ends. To the film's credit, though, that killer's identity DOES come as something of a surprise (well, it did for me, anyway, but I've always been lousy at guessing this kind of thing). Yes, despite that gruesome title, and Mr. Lee's presence, this film IS more of a mystery thriller than a horror picture. Oh, and one other thing: An 11-minute interview with Mr. Lee makes for just one of the many fine extras on the crisp-looking DVD that I just watched.

jamesraeburn2003 In Paris a series of grisly murders are taking place, in which the victims are stabbed with a knife that leaves a triangular wound and then are drained of their blood. Inspector Micheaud (IVOR DEAN) and pathologist Charles Marquis (JULIAN GLOVER) suspect that they are dealing with a killer with vampiristic tendencies. Marquis has a girlfriend called Dani Gireaux (LELIA GOLDONI) who is an actress at the "Theatre De Mort" - the "Theatre Of Death" where the principal themes of the plays are murder and mayhem. The company is run by the eccentric and obsessive Philippe Darvas (CHRISTOPHER LEE) who becomes the chief suspect because when Marquis gives him a lift home and tells him that a knife that resembles the murder weapon was found among his props, he seemed eager to get out of the car and continue on foot. Secondly, he seems to have hypnotic control over one of his fellow actresses, Nicole Chapelle (JENNY TILL). Things look worse for Darvas after he disappears late one night leaving his hat and blood soaked cloak in a park, but Nicole's trance doesn't appear to be letting up. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise and the police must either find Darvas' killer or the true culprit...THEATRE OF DEATH begins slowly and tamely (in every murder sequence the camera moves in for a close up of the victim's terrified face then cuts away to the next scene). However, it cannot be denied that this is a unique film in its own right as it features one of Christopher Lee's best performances and it deals with an ingenious modern day vampire story, which is far more realistic than the mythical vampires that Hammer dealt with. The film pulls every hokey horror trick in the book such as eyes moving in portraits and the French characters speak with impeccable English accents very much as the Transylvanians did in the Hammer films. However, what makes the film unique is that it packs an ingenious twist at the climax and as a result the film has given us these hackneyed horror clichés, it throws them to the winds and when the identity of the killer is finally revealed it comes as quite a surprise as every one is expecting it to be Christopher Lee's character as this is a part than everyone associated with him at the time. Its not him but I won't spoil it anymore for those who have not seen it! Add to that, all the performances are excellent and there is the stylish camera-work of Gilbert Taylor who would later go on to shoot the first STAR WARS (1977) for George Lucas.